RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ascom Network Testing (www.ascom.com/nt)
announced today that it has joined the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at
the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. As a member, Ascom will
work with other companies on research of 5G-related topics, and its
equipment will be used to help this future technology to evolve.

Ascom joins the 5GIC consortium which already includes Aeroflex, AIRCOM
International, BBC, BT, EE, Fujitsu Laboratories of Europe, Huawei,
Ofcom, Rohde & Schwarz, Samsung, Telefonica and Vodafone. Together with
the University of Surrey, they will conduct research into the
development of advanced technologies for a 5G network of the future, to
establish a world-leading position in mobile broadband communications
and Internet innovations. The project will include the development of a
5G “test bed,” based on the University campus, to test technologies in a
real-world environment.

“We are excited to be part of this program,” says Erik Tarnvik, Ascom
Network Testing’s CTO. “Ascom has been a member of 3GPP and ITU for many
years, and as such we’ve had the opportunity to be part of development
efforts as the industry progresses. We are eager to participate and
learn first-hand the challenges of this increasingly complex technology
through 5GIC, so that we can develop solutions to help the industry to
address them.”

Professor Rahim Tafazolli, a leading expert in the field and Head of the
University of Surrey’s Centre for Communication Systems Research (CCSR),
said, “By bringing together leading academics with heavy-weight industry
partners we can develop the technologies that are required to provide
much-needed capacity, drive economic growth and actively contribute to
and shape the future 5G technology. We are very pleased to have Ascom
join our group so that we can use its leading technology as an
integrated part of our plans.”

More about Ascom and 5G

Ascom’s leading-edge technology products such as TEMS™ Investigation,
TEMS™ Pocket, TEMS™ Discovery and TEMS™ Monitor Master will be available
to 5GIC for testing the radio network, services and applications. Using
Ascom’s advanced measurement technologies like Blixt™, 5GIC will ensure
that the test beds benefit from accurate and less intrusive performance
evaluation required by the broadband networks. In addition, Ascom’s
on-device testing solutions and QoE metrics for voice, video, audio, and
multimedia services will offer the unique customer experience centric
view on the impact of the advanced 5G networks’ features. Ascom products
today support advanced technologies such as VoLTE and LTE Advanced and
will be enhanced with 5G features in the future.

ABOUT ASCOM NETWORK TESTING

Ascom
Network Testing offers the TEMS™ Portfolio, the world’s most widely
used network testing, monitoring and optimization platform. Ascom
Network Testing is a division of Ascom, a global solutions provider with
comprehensive technological know-how in mission-critical wireless
communication. The company focuses on theWireless
Solutions (an international market leader for high-value,
customer-specific on-site communication solutions and workflow
optimization) and Network
Testing (a global market leader in testing, monitoring, post
processing, and performance optimization for mobile networks) divisions.
The Ascom Group is headquartered in Switzerland, has subsidiaries in 17
countries, business activities in more than 130 countries, and employs
around 1,600 people worldwide. Ascom registered shares (ASCN) are listed
on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional,
scientific and technological universities with a world class research
profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research.
Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to
all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge
and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space
science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy.
Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition
and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social
sciences, management and languages and law. In addition to the campus on
150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns
and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 110
companies employing 2,750 staff.